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Christiana Care ranked among top 50 of America's best hospitals in 2 specialties

In its annual Best Hospitals edition, US News & World Report places Christiana Care among the top 50 listings in 2 specialties – Gastroenterology and Urology.

17 Jul 2010

Study examines HIV-positive patients' death risk at CD4 counts above 350

"Having HIV appears to be associated with a greater risk of death, even when the immune system is relatively robust and patients have not started treatment," according to a study published Friday in the Lancet, MedPage Today reports (Smith, 7/15).

17 Jul 2010

Pain medication abuse soars

The Associated Press: "A new government study finds a 400 percent increase in the number of people admitted to treatment for abusing prescription pain medication. The increase in substance abuse among people ages 12 and older was recorded during the 10-year-period from 1998 to 2008. It spans every gender, race, ethnicity, education and employment level, and all regions of the country" (7/15).

17 Jul 2010

Cleveland Clinic to provide heart care in Chicago; Johns Hopkins increases primary care in D.C. area

Chicago Tribune: "In a move likely to shake up the market for heart care in the Chicago area, the Cleveland Clinic's cardiac surgery program has signed an affiliation agreement with Central DuPage Hospital in west suburban Winfield. The deal, announced Thursday, is designed to enhance the heart care provided at the 313-bed hospital and potentially bring Cleveland Clinic patient referrals at a time when fewer heart surgeries are needed than were a decade ago.

17 Jul 2010

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranks first: U.S. News & World Report survey

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranks as one of the top five American hospitals -- and the best hospital in the western United States for the 21st consecutive year -- according to a U.S. News & World Report survey that reviewed patient-outcomes data, reputation among physicians and other care-

17 Jul 2010

Hospitals fight for primary care docs as bad nurses allowed to continue work

Orlando Sentinel: For primary care specialties, residency programs fight to capture the attention of potential residents who are in high demand.

17 Jul 2010

CDC director gives health system failing grade on prevention

Memphis Commercial Appeal: "The American health care system gets an 'F' when it comes to acting on a handful of prevention methods that have the potential to save the most lives. That failing grade came from Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a Wednesday speech to members of the National Association of County and City Health Officials gathered here for their annual conference at Cook Convention Center."

17 Jul 2010

Meet the actuary who unwound Anthem's big rate increase request

The Los Angeles Times delivers the inside story of David Axene, a California actuary who, working from home and a hospital bed, unwound the mistaken math behind Anthem Blue Cross's request to raise rates by up to 39 percent earlier this year. "Axene Health Partners is off the beaten path, but it was well known to senior managers from the California Department of Insurance as a top-flight actuarial firm with a reputation for deft work.

17 Jul 2010

No abortion coverage in high risk pools, HHS says

"Elective abortion services will not be covered in state high-risk pools set up to provide coverage for sick people who can't get insurance, according to Obama administration officials," CQ HealthBeat reports.

17 Jul 2010

Grossman Burn Center moves to West Hills Hospital & Medical Center in West Hills

On Saturday, July 17, 2010, the Grossman Burn Center will relocate to West Hills Hospital & Medical Center in West Hills, CA.

17 Jul 2010

Capitol Hill hearing examines health, social consequences of child marriage

VOA News covered a hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday, which addressed child marriage in the developing world and its impact on girls and communities (Presto, 7/15).

17 Jul 2010

Health law backers say most small businesses will get tax credits

More than 85 percent of Utah small businesses - those with less than 25 employees - will be eligible for federal tax credits to help pay for employee health coverage according to two lobbying groups that favored the health overhaul, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. "The two organizations said 37,800 companies will qualify for the credit, worth up to 35 percent of a small business's premium costs in 2010. The credit increases to 50 percent in January" (Beebe, 7/15).

17 Jul 2010

Capitol Hill Watch: Obama agenda under scrutiny as lawmakers talk Medicare, budgets

President Obama's agenda, which includes a sweeping overhaul of the health care system, is coming under increased political scrutiny as lawmakers struggle with health budget challenges, and consider issues such as medical bankruptcy and improper Medicare payments.

17 Jul 2010

94 indicted in five-state crackdown on Medicare fraud

Law enforcement officers fanned out across five states Friday in what federal officials called the largest Medicare fraud bust ever conducted. Nearly 100 people were indicted in frauds that totaled $251 million.

17 Jul 2010

Opinions: Science communication for development; International disaster response

"Helping developing countries communicate and use science is essential to international aid and diplomacy. The biggest single factor limiting developing countries' potential for achieving sustainable economic growth - or even attaining the Millennium Development Goals - is their ability to access and apply the fruits of modern science and technology," David Dickson, the director of SciDev.Net, writes in an editorial on the website.

17 Jul 2010

FCC to step up rural broadband for health care

"The U.S. Federal Communications Commission took the first step Thursday toward reworking a US$400 million-a-year program to subsidize telecommunications services to rural health-care facilities, with the new emphasis on broadband. The commission voted unanimously to approve a notice of proposed rulemaking, or NPRM, designed to bring affordable broadband connectivity to more than 2,000 rural hospitals and clinics across the U.S. The purpose of an NPRM is to ask members of the public whether they agree with the proposed changes" (Gross, 7/15).

17 Jul 2010

Research Roundups: Health IT progress; Telecare and cancer pain; State exchanges; Adults with no medical care

eHealth/Commonwealth Fund: National Progress Report On eHealth - This extensive report examines changes in the adoption and use of health information technology (HIT) since 2007, as assessed by a group of more than 100 experts.

17 Jul 2010

Also in Global Health News: WHO reacts to Amnesty's N. Korea report; Universal flu vaccine; Malaria-resistant mosquitoes

The WHO is questioning the validity of the findings of a recent Amnesty International report which highlighted the dire needs of North Korea's health system, "contradict[ing] the rosier picture given by WHO chief Margaret Chan after her April trip there," the Associated Press reports. Although WHO spokesman Paul Garwood "insisted he wasn't criticizing Amnesty's work … he said Thursday's report was anecdotal, with stories dating back to 2001," which "[h]e contrasted … with WHO's science-based approach" (7/16).

17 Jul 2010

First in a series of day-long regional health care fraud prevention summits kicked-off in Miami

Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today kicked-off the first in a series of regional health care fraud prevention summits in Miami. The summit brought together a wide-array of federal, state and local partners, beneficiaries, providers and other interested parties to discuss innovative ways to eliminate fraud within the U.S. health care system.

17 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Shift entitlement spending to the states; The lack of a GOP health plan; Battling tobacco

The U.S. fiscal path is unsustainable, primarily because of out-of-control entitlement spending. … At some point, therefore, the economy is due to crash unless Washington reins in spending. One way to avoid this outcome would be to transfer entitlement programs to the states ... failure to slash entitlements could mean a bankrupt economy. When that happens, it's sure to be the poor who suffer the most (Jeffrey Miron, 7/16).

17 Jul 2010

Health Care News and Research

Christiana Care ranked among top 50 of America's best hospitals in 2 specialties

Study examines HIV-positive patients' death risk at CD4 counts above 350

Pain medication abuse soars

Cleveland Clinic to provide heart care in Chicago; Johns Hopkins increases primary care in D.C. area

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranks first: U.S. News & World Report survey

Hospitals fight for primary care docs as bad nurses allowed to continue work

CDC director gives health system failing grade on prevention

Meet the actuary who unwound Anthem's big rate increase request

No abortion coverage in high risk pools, HHS says

Grossman Burn Center moves to West Hills Hospital & Medical Center in West Hills

Capitol Hill hearing examines health, social consequences of child marriage

Health law backers say most small businesses will get tax credits

Capitol Hill Watch: Obama agenda under scrutiny as lawmakers talk Medicare, budgets

94 indicted in five-state crackdown on Medicare fraud

Opinions: Science communication for development; International disaster response

FCC to step up rural broadband for health care

Research Roundups: Health IT progress; Telecare and cancer pain; State exchanges; Adults with no medical care

Also in Global Health News: WHO reacts to Amnesty's N. Korea report; Universal flu vaccine; Malaria-resistant mosquitoes

First in a series of day-long regional health care fraud prevention summits kicked-off in Miami

Today's OpEds: Shift entitlement spending to the states; The lack of a GOP health plan; Battling tobacco

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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